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Experience from last night

I knew it was going to be cold but I tried anyway. I had a metal hammock stand in the garage so there was no wind to speak of. The garage door had been left open (not intentional) so I started off at around 32 degrees. Got undressed in the garage and so I had an initial chill similar to what would happen in a camping situation. Time was around 10:00 pm. Here we go.

Inital observations:
The CCF pad (1/2") is a **** good insulator. However, I could get this thing to hold any kind of diagonal position easily. Placing it in position and then getting in resulted in the pad holding the hammock fabric "centered" and limiting my room. Shifting about in the hammock previously to move an inflatable pad (Pacific Outdoor Equipment Max-Lite 1.5) into position was a lot easier. This was probably due to the slicker outer surface and it being semi rigid.

It was around this time, after all the struggles trying to get the pad situated that I thought of Risk's Zhammock and Neo's Claytor setup. The double layering is something worh considering at this point if I wish to continue using a pad. (Sorry I had to admit that, I can just imagine Neo's posts in response! ) Something like the Speer SPE would also work I think since the outer surface is less "sticky" than the CCF pad.

The bag kept me warm and toasty. No problems there. My core temperature was in good shape.

Side Sleeping position:
I dozed off on my back and then shifted. I do this alot. It was not uncomfortable and I only had one cold spot that was remedied by stuffing some of the bag/quilt. Again, the speer style SPE would have helped this issue.

Interesting stuff:
Mt feet got cold and would not warm up. This is what finally caused me to bail to the house. The only thing that I could think of was that my feet seemed to be slightly elevated and I was not getting the circulation that I needed to keep warm. My feet were on the pad and the end of the bag was still zipped to form a box. I have slept in this bag down to 20 degrees on the ground and never had this issue. I didn't notice any condensation issues and therefore did not suspect that as being the problem.

The amont of static electricity generted was amazing. As I wiped my fingers past the nylon hammock I had sparks about a 1/4" long. Of course I immediately recognized it as a sign of my omnipotence. LOL

Bail out:
At 1:00 am, wit my feet not warming up and feeling like the rest of me was slowly cooling down to an uncomfortable point I made the decision to bail. My thermometer was up to 40 degrees. (Remember this is in a closed attached garage so that was expected.)
I may try again tonight. Any ideas or thoughts?

Or maybe it was just the cold induced confusion at that hour of the morning that was making me experience a past life while I was wishing I could hit the lottery and could afford all of your great down filled stuff to play with. (Like a four season setup)

Either way, I will not declare myself to be a hanger until I get some experience with this thing. It's hell being a newbie at things.

Thanks for reading and replying though. I really do wish I had the money!

Those sparks are cool, huh? First time I was in a dry enough environment for that was in Yosemite...I had on polyester thermals, so whenever I moved there were all kinds of sparks between my legs and the hammock...it was like a light show under my quilt. Rather than thinking I was omnipotent, I just thought it showed how much power I had in my pants...

Good to know the pad keeps you warm, though. Keep in mind that what you need varies with conditions...pads may work for you when it's 40F, but what about 60F, or 50F and humid? Only way to know is to keep experimenting...but just expect your insulation (and breathability) needs to change with conditions.

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story

Those sparks are cool, huh? First time I was in a dry enough environment for that was in Yosemite...I had on polyester thermals, so whenever I moved there were all kinds of sparks between my legs and the hammock...it was like a light show under my quilt. Rather than thinking I was omnipotent, I just thought it showed how much power I had in my pants...

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story

i slept in my v2 synthetic insulated hammock in the back yard last night using a new homemade wearable quilt. i`ll try to get some photos of the quilt & post them this afternoon.
more about the quilt later.
the hammock is the one ewker posted photos of from the mt rogers trip.
according to the brunton ADC wind, it got down to 14.1 for a couple hours in the early morn.
i slept warm w/ the exception of feeling a slight coolness a time or two during the wee morning hours.
no wind... maybe just a slight bit of air movement.
i wore the same clothes i would normally wear on a cold weather backpacking trip. i consider my clothing part of my sleep system.
short sleeve wicking shirt
long sleeve wicking shirt w/ zip neck
synthetic insulated jacket
fleece balaclava (or whatever<g>)
wicking bottoms
fleece lined nylon pants
mid weight thorlo socks

the fleece lined pants are really warm, but also heavy & bulky. i hope to be replacing them very soon w/ montbel`s UL thermawraps.

the fleece lined pants are really warm, but also heavy & bulky. i hope to be replacing them very soon w/ montbel`s UL thermawraps.

I have been eyes those also. A little pricey, but I think that they will be worth it. I think the large size is listed as 10+ oz. I think if I replace a pair of long underwear with them, the weight will come out close.

Jeff said something on a WB thread I started about insulated pants. He said that the thru-hiker.com guy was working on a DIY pattern and kit for pants. Might be something to look into. For me I think I am better off buying them.

Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

I have been eyes those also. A little pricey, but I think that they will be worth it. I think the large size is listed as 10+ oz. I think if I replace a pair of long underwear with them, the weight will come out close.

Jeff said something on a WB thread I started about insulated pants. He said that the thru-hiker.com guy was working on a DIY pattern and kit for pants. Might be something to look into. For me I think I am better off buying them.

that`s 10ozs for a medium. i`m looking into it to be sure, but i believe i will need an extra lg for my 38" muscular hips & waist area<g>.
the length will probably be longer than needed (my inseam is 30), but i`ll just have to find a way to deal w/ that.
if the bottom has elastic & holds to my ankles, that should take care of it.
the larger sizes will weigh an oz or two more, but that`s ok.
i know the purest ultralighters would go w/ down & no side zips, but for me the small weight & bulk is well worth it. worth it`s weight in gold mater-a-fact.
i have a pair of mountian hardwear rain pants w/ full side zips. i was sceptical at first but after using them for more than a year, i love that feature.
not only does it make them easy to put on & take off over boots/shoes, but it adds a great range of ventilation. i`ve probably used the rain pants as an outer shell when there`s no rain as much (or more) than when raining.
and having that wide range of ventilation means i`ll take the thermawraps in all but the warmest trips... replacing long johns in milder weather.
i remember someone talking about a pattern like that. let me know that becomes available.

I knew it was going to be cold but I tried anyway. I had a metal hammock stand in the garage so there was no wind to speak of. The garage door had been left open (not intentional) so I started off at around 32 degrees. Got undressed in the garage and so I had an initial chill similar to what would happen in a camping situation. Time was around 10:00 pm. Here we go.

Inital observations:
The CCF pad (1/2") is a **** good insulator. However, I could get this thing to hold any kind of diagonal position easily. Placing it in position and then getting in resulted in the pad holding the hammock fabric "centered" and limiting my room. Shifting about in the hammock previously to move an inflatable pad (Pacific Outdoor Equipment Max-Lite 1.5) into position was a lot easier. This was probably due to the slicker outer surface and it being semi rigid.

It was around this time, after all the struggles trying to get the pad situated that I thought of Risk's Zhammock and Neo's Claytor setup. The double layering is something worh considering at this point if I wish to continue using a pad. (Sorry I had to admit that, I can just imagine Neo's posts in response! ) Something like the Speer SPE would also work I think since the outer surface is less "sticky" than the CCF pad.

The bag kept me warm and toasty. No problems there. My core temperature was in good shape.

Side Sleeping position:
I dozed off on my back and then shifted. I do this alot. It was not uncomfortable and I only had one cold spot that was remedied by stuffing some of the bag/quilt. Again, the speer style SPE would have helped this issue.

Interesting stuff:
Mt feet got cold and would not warm up. This is what finally caused me to bail to the house. The only thing that I could think of was that my feet seemed to be slightly elevated and I was not getting the circulation that I needed to keep warm. My feet were on the pad and the end of the bag was still zipped to form a box. I have slept in this bag down to 20 degrees on the ground and never had this issue. I didn't notice any condensation issues and therefore did not suspect that as being the problem.

The amont of static electricity generted was amazing. As I wiped my fingers past the nylon hammock I had sparks about a 1/4" long. Of course I immediately recognized it as a sign of my omnipotence. LOL

Bail out:
At 1:00 am, wit my feet not warming up and feeling like the rest of me was slowly cooling down to an uncomfortable point I made the decision to bail. My thermometer was up to 40 degrees. (Remember this is in a closed attached garage so that was expected.)
I may try again tonight. Any ideas or thoughts?

What did you have on your feet? Down booties or thick merino wool socks would sure help.